Charlie Pierzynski
Charlie May Pierzynski is an original Threadbare South Park character. She is one of the five main characters along with Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny. Charlie makes her Threadbare South Park debut in "Charlie", the first Threadbare episode, and has appeared in every episode since. The first seven episodes, jointly referred to as The Charlie Arc, feature Charlie as a central character and set the stage for later episodes. From "Sisters Suck" and onward, she is fostered by the Marsh family. Partly due to her living circumstances, she becomes the sometimes-fifth-member of the boys' group. Background Early Childhood Until she was five, Charlie had a relatively normal home life. She was born Minneapolis, Minnesota, where lived with Jane, her biological mother, and Joe Pierzynski, her step-father (whose last name she shares), in a downtown apartment. When Charlie was four, Jane gave birth to Becca, Charlie's half-sister. Family Dysfunction When Charlie was five years old, her parents' marriage began to deteriorate. Against his wife's wishes, Joe quit his job to pursue a career in music. By all appearances, he was never successful in his endeavors. The family's financial situation rapidly deteriorated. Joe also became unfaithful to his wife; he was often away for extended periods of time. Although Joseph and Jane never legally divorced, Joe gradually visited his family less frequently, and the children and their mother moved several times. Despite their tumultuous relationship, Jane became pregnant by Joe and gave birth to a son, Davy, when Charlie was seven. When Charlie is eight and in third grade, Jane, Charlie, Becca, and Davy move to South Park, Colorado. According to Charlie, Jane never tells Joe that they are moving. It is unknown whether Charlie has any relatives outside of her immediate family. Charlie does not know of any grandparents, uncles, aunts, or cousins, suggesting that, if such relatives to exist, they have a poor relationship with her mother. Abuse Charlie is physically (and possibly emotionally) abused by her mother from around the time that Joe begins to philander, when Charlie is five. At first, the abuse is infrequent, but it escalates in frequency and violence over the following three years. It finally climaxes in "Charlie", when an angry and stressed Jane forces Charlie to drink bleach and beats her to unconsciousness, nearly killing her. Jane flees her home immediately after. It is not known where she went or what she intended to do, but she was quickly apprehended by police and ultimately convicted of child abuse and attempted murder ("Sisters Suck"). By all accounts, Jane only abused Charlie, not her other children. While Joe was an oft-absent father, he was never abusive. Hobbies/Interests Music Charlie is shown to enjoy singing. She typically sings by herself for her own amusement, but does not appear shy about singing in front of others; in "One of the Girls", Charlie plays the ukulele and sings for a talent show. Charlie's taste in music is unusual for a nine-year-old girl; she likes old-time country and western music, as well as some of the off-beat rock legends of the '70s. It appears that she acquired her taste for these styles of music from her step-father. The artists she references include Johnny Cash, Warren Zevon, Alan Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Goodman, and Willie Nelson. Aviation As Charlie reveals in "Fall of the House of Pierzynski", she aspires to be a commercial airline pilot when she grows up. She frequently doodles airplanes, receives a model airplane construction set from Stan for Christmas, and considers the Boeing 787 to be her favorite model of airplane. Video Games Charlie plays video games with the boys on several occasions. However, she does not appear to be very good at them; Stan and Kyle comment that she "never wins" at any games (video or otherwise). Girl Scouts Charlie is temporarily a member of the Girl Scouts in the episode "Girl Scout Cookies". She does not, however, display any interest in the club itself; she is merely a member so that she and Cartman can exploit a legal loophole to purchase and resell Girl Scout Cookies during the off-season. Stethoscope In "How 'Bout Them Apples?", Charlie is permitted to work for the Coon & Friends as their secretary. She develops the superhero alter-ego Stethoscope, who has superhuman hearing and the ability to communicate with sea-creatures. (Like most of the "superheroes" in Coon & Friends, she does not actually possess these powers; she merely pretends for the sake of the game.) Criminal Record * Accessory to murder - In "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner", Charlie, along with the boys and Sharon Marsh, take the ghost of Roland to a Taylor Swift concert in Denver, where Roland proceeds to murder the popular country singer. * Failure to respect the patriarchal order - As a gag in "Girl Scout Cookies", Charlie is arrested by several heavily-armed SWAT team members for failing to respect Cartman's "authority" in compliance with the Girl Scout Law. While such a violation has no true legal repercussions, she is forced to quit the Girl Scouts. * Fraud - In "Elephant Balls", Charlie solicits donations from townspeople to pay for Mr. Garrison's scrotal surgery, but tells the donors that Mr. Garrison is actually receiving brain surgery. * Unlawful possession of a deadly weapon - Charlie, Stan, and Kyle use a hand grenade to kill Binky in "Hedgehog". Religion Charlie was not raised to be religious. When she lives with the Marsh family, she goes with them to mass, but is often confused by rituals and rites. In "Mistletoe Immunity", she doesn't realize that Christmas is the celebration of Jesus's birth, leading her to begin a movement to bring Christmas to the Jews. Appearance Charlie is a nine-year-old white girl with dark brown, chin-length hair. She is average-looking in terms of attractiveness (although she is ranked last on the girls' list of prettiest fourth graders in "One of the Girls".) At the time of her introduction in "Charlie", her hair is very short and cut in a boyish style. Over time, her hair grows somewhat longer, but it always remains shorter than shoulder-length. She typically wears a dark blue coat, cargo pants, grey sneakers, grey gloves, and a blue-green stocking cap. Because of her short hair and gender-ambiguous clothes and name, she is often mistaken for a boy (much to her annoyance). Charlie bruised.jpg Charlie bday party.jpg Charlie caffeine.jpg Charlie xmas.jpg CharliePilot.jpg GirlScoutCookies.jpg Stethoscope (2).JPG Personality Although she is not shy, Charlie is not skilled in making good first impressions. She is not a good conversationalist with acquaintances, although she is more relaxed when speaking to friends. She can be somewhat blunt in casual conversations. She doesn't fit in well with other kids (especially other girls) but she cares deeply for the friends she has. Because of her social ineptness, the other fourth grade girls vote her the least popular girl in the class. Charlie is generally good-natured, sometimes even sweet. She doesn't like singling out people to tease, and she does her best to cheer her friends up when they're down. In "Post-Dramatic Stress Disorder", she tells the other boys to stop laughing at Kyle when his mother walks him on a leash. Then she tries to make Kyle feel less uncomfortable by telling him that Mrs. Marsh had checked her and Stan's backpacks for weapons that morning. Although she isn't as smart as Kyle, Charlie occasionally reveals a mature and intelligent side. She is good at explaining things, has a wide array of business and pop-cultural knowledge, and she appears to be a reasonably good student. However, she still has plenty of childlike naivety. She doesn't know what a scrotum is in "Elephant Balls", and she still finds toilet-humor amusing. She also falls victim to Cartman's powers of manipulation in "Project B" and "Girl Scout Cookies". Even though she's a pretty decent kid, she doesn't mind arguing with or yelling at her friends when they upset or annoy her. She can also be a schemer, willing to act on morally questionable plans if will benefit her (as seen in "Elephant Balls" and "Girl Scout Cookies"). She is also capable of being manipulative; for example, she takes advantage of Tweek's nervous personality in "Hedgehog" when she coaxes him out of telling the truth about being bitten by the hedgehog, and she cajoles a large group of townspeople to donate to Mr. Garrison's surgery by crying (and claiming he is dying of brain cancer). Charlie is usually very respectful towards authority figures. Unlike the boys, she does not talk back to Mr. Garrison or Mr. Mackey. She is also very polite, even somewhat shy, around Randy and Sharon, her foster parents. Family Jane Pierzynski Jane is Charlie's abusive mother. For several years, Charlie was subjected to physical and emotional abuse at Jane's hands. Ultimately, the abuse nearly killed her. After years of defending her mother's behavior, Charlie is forced to confront and acknowledge the truth when she testifies against Jane in court in "Sisters Suck". The more time Charlie is separated from Jane, the more she realizes that she's better off without her. Charlie is bitter towards her mother, but she also has fond memories of her early childhood, when the two shared a loving relationship. Joe Pierzynski Despite his instability and infidelity toward Jane, Charlie always greatly admired and loved Joe. While law enforcement officials are still unable to find Joe, Charlie writes (but doesn't send) him a note. At the end of "Project B", it is revealed that Joseph is not Charlie's biological father (although he is the father of her two younger siblings), and that he is, perhaps, not the greatest guy in the world either, as he is serving a ten-year prison sentence for armed robbery. Becca Pierzynski Becca is Charlie's five-year-old half-sister who is fostered by the Cartmans after Jane's arrest. When they still lived together, Charlie was like a second mother to Becca. She babysat her from a very young age and was always very protective of her. Though they now live in different homes, Charlie is still protective of Becca and is always concerned about her welfare. For example, when Cartman swears, Charlie often warns him "not to talk like that" in front of Becca. Davy Pierzynski Davy is Charlie's one-year-old half-brother. As with Becca, Charlie is very protective of and loving towards Davy. After Jane's arrest, Davy briefly lives with Kyle's family. He is relocated to a foster home in Denver in "Project B", which devastates Charlie. She has not seen him since. Relationships Stan Marsh Friendship When they first meet, Stan and Charlie are somewhat indifferent towards each other. However, since Charlie lives with the Marsh family after her mother is arrested, she and Stan spend a lot of time together. Over time, the two come to act like somewhat like siblings. They enjoy tormenting Shelly and watching T.V. together, and Stan gradually allows Charlie to become part of the group. Conflict Stan is furious when he has to give Charlie his room and share with Shelly. He becomes even angrier when, in "Sisters Suck", he is grounded for yelling at Charlie about this issue. Ultimately, Charlie is switched to Shelly's room and Stan gets his old room back. After this conflict is resolved, the pair get along much better, although they do occasionally bicker. Kyle Broflovski Friendship Kyle is Charlie's first friend in South Park. He discovers that Jane is abusive and tells Mr. Mackey (against Charlie's wishes). Kyle finds Charlie unconscious after Jane feeds her bleach, and he contacts the authorities. The Broflovskis briefly foster Charlie's brother, Davy. Kyle is very defensive, even protective, of Charlie. In "Charlie", he stands up for her against Cartman's teasing and makes an effort to make her feel welcome. He does the same thing in "Sisters Suck" when Wendy calls her names. In "Project B", Kyle tries to convince his mother to allow Davy to stay with their family, knowing that Charlie would be devastated if she lost her little brother. When this fails, he tries to hide the truth from Charlie for as long as possible. In "One of the Girls", he loudly and angrily confronts the group of girls who pretended to be Charlie's friend only to ridicule her later, calling it "the bitchiest thing you've ever done." Romance After Charlie is bullied by the other fourth grade girls in "One of the Girls", Kyle leads her away from the situation and helps her feel better. Charlie kisses him on the lips after he makes a comment implying that he thinks she is pretty. While Charlie seems surprised with herself, even apologizing, the two both begin to act happier after the event. Later, they hold hands as they walk to Kyle's house. Although this story implies a mutual romantic interest between the two, no other episodes thus far suggest that they are anything more than friends. Kenny McCormick Kenny and Charlie are friends, although she is not as close to Kenny as she is to Stan or Kyle. When Charlie first moved to South Park, she moved into the house next to Kenny's. Kenny is often "excited" by the prospects of having a female in the group. Despite Charlie's opinion that Kenny is "a pervert," she finds him amusing and doesn't always catch on to his innuendo. The two of them sometimes sit together on the bus. Partly due to her personality, Charlie is usually more upset by Kenny's deaths than the guys. In "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner", she cries over his trampled body, vomits when rats eat his corpse, and wears black the next day out of respect for his (and Warren Zevon's) death. Charlie can relate to Kenny's home life more than the other boys. She came from an abusive, poor household, so she tends not to tease him about it as much as the other boys. In "Girl Scout Cookies", Charlie buys Kenny a new coat and hides thirty dollars in the pocket. (While this is clearly a gesture of goodwill on Charlie's part, it backfires when Kenny runs into a burning building to retrieve the coat and money and it collapses on him.) In "How 'Bout Them Apples?", Charlie is oblivious to Kenny's temporary fixation on her newly-developing breasts. She is confused about why he begins to act differently around her, and she tells Sharon that she wishes that they could "just be friends again like they always were." Eric Cartman Friendship Like Cartman and Kyle (but to a lesser extent), they are friends who like to fight. Although they rarely get along, Cartman and Charlie continue to hang out with the same social group. It is uncertain whether or not they truly consider themselves "friends." In "Project B", when Charlie comes to visit Cartman, he tells his mother that she is not his friend. Also, in "Girl Scout Cookies", after her alliance with Cartman comes to an end, Charlie tells Stan and Kyle that she's glad that she can now spend time with her "real friends." This assertion is later contradicted in "One of the Girls", when Charlie names Cartman when she lists the friends she has made since moving to South Park. In the same story, Charlie defends Cartman against Kyle, telling Kyle not to make fun of Cartman's weight (although this was probably due to her insecurity about her own appearance at that point in the story). It seems most likely that Charlie considers the two to be at least superficial friends, while Cartman sees Charlie as more of a nuisance. Conflict Cartman continually fights against Charlie's fusion into the group, although he is typically overruled. When left alone, as seen in "Project B" and "Girl Scout Cookies," they fight much more than they do in the group. Alliances On several occasions, Cartman and Charlie (sometimes with others) have teamed up for something mutually beneficial, as in "Girl Scout Cookies" and "Elephant Balls." Although Charlie is the more likely of the two to back out of a scheme due to a crisis of conscience, this did not happen on either occasion; in "Girl Scout Cookies," she is forced to quit the Girl Scouts after breaking the Girl Scout Law, ending their somewhat illicit trade of Girl Scout cookies, and in "Elephant Balls," Charlie's technique of lying about Mr. Garrison's illness is ultimately successful. A less significant instance of an "alliance" between the two occurs in "One of the Girls," when they agree that fourth grade boys taking girls to dances is "totally gay." As the Coon, Cartman begrudgingly allows Charlie to work as the secretary for Coon & Friends. Becca Despite his desire to hate her, Cartman is actually a decent foster brother to Becca. Becca considers him her "big brother," and Charlie appreciates his (relatively) good behavior towards her. In "Girl Scout Cookies," after engaging in a screaming match with Cartman, Charlie's anger rapidly subsides after Becca tells her that Cartman occasionally tells her bedtime stories. Sharon Marsh Sharon acts as Charlie's foster mother when Charlie lives with the Marshes. Sharon treats Charlie in a very caring and maternal way. In "Sisters Suck" and "How 'Bout Them Apples?", Charlie goes to Sharon for advice. Randy Marsh Randy is Charlie's foster father when Charlie lives with the Marshes. They do not interact much. Shelly Marsh Shelly becomes Charlie's foster sister. They are forced to share a room, and Shelly seems to treat Charlie similarly to how she treats Stan: like a turd. Gerald Broflovski Gerald is Charlie's lawyer, representing her in court. He prosecutes the case against Jane Pierzynski pro-bono in "Sisters Suck." Trivia *Charlie and her story were first conceived in 2007, then abandoned until 2011. "Charlie", "Brainwashing", and "Sisters Suck" (the first three chapters of The Charlie Arc) are consistent with the original plot. *Her legal name is Charlie May Pierzynski, but she is sometimes erroneously called "Charlotte," usually by adults. She even explains her own name as "short for Charlotte". *Charlie is diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in (the aptly named) "Post-Dramatic Stress Disorder". (She is also diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, but this diagnosis is later proven false.) *In "Hedgehog", Charlie adopts a hedgehog as a pet and names him Binky. *Charlie wants to be a pilot when she grows up. *Although she learns that Joe is not her father in "Project B", we receive no indication that she or Joe knows who her biological father really is. This issue may be addressed in later installments of The Charlie Arc. Category:Characters Category:Female Characters Category:Main Characters Category:Original Characters Category:Pierzynski Family Category:Marsh Family Category:Students Category:Fourth Grade Students Category:Female Students Category:Children Category:Girls Category:Superhero Characters